"Neymar is very young and naturally, he has nothing to do with this issue," Nadal told Goal. "Different stories emerge and they are things that don't usually come out. He is [only] involved because the story is there."

The Brazilian, who turned 22 on Wednesday, is currently recovering from an ankle injury and Nadal believes he should isolate himself from the negative press surrounding his move.

"The player should be left alone in all this," he said. "The only thing he did was come to Barcelona because they proposed it to him."

On the defensive | Miguel Angel Nadal in action for Spain

Nadal, uncle of tennis star Rafa and a centre-back in Johan Cruyff's Dream Team, has warned that the case could ultimately affect Barca's performances on the pitch.

"The more calm there is at a club, the better," he said. "That way, attention is focused solely on the objectives outlined at the beginning of the season.

"When that is lost, it can have an effect. In these last few months of the season, Barcelona have to find ambition and security as a team - and also correct a few errors."

Some of those errors have come in defence, particularly at set pieces, and Nadal is sure that the key to winning titles lies in Barca tightening up their back line.

"The defence is an important point because if gives you security and that, in turn, gives you consistency," he explained.

"So you have to find that balance and solve a few of the problems, especially at set pieces, because that gives you [extra] security at the back.

"That will make a big difference becuase it's very rare that Barcelona fail to score."